Pansy Lake in Marion County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Pansy Lake is one of the Marion County waters in Oregon. It stands 4,032 feet above sea level. This is a pocket water of some 5 acres, and every part of it is reachable from the bank. Start from Mill City, 20 miles down the road. For a city, Gresham is 45 miles off. Within a short run: Dickey Lake within 0.5 miles, Big Slide Lake 1.4 miles off, West Lake within 1.9 miles, Twin Lakes 2 miles off and Silver King Lake within 2 miles. The county line is nowhere near, so one local authority covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Pansy Lake

  Depth here is unknown, so count the lead down before committing. Inflow corners move water, and moving water gathers fish. Rip-rap along the wall holds fish that the open bank never does. County-wide records name bluegill, largemouth bass, largescale sucker and rainbow trout. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. Pansy Lake gives up more to patience than to distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Climate normals give 58°F for August and 32°F for January. Most months fish reasonably, given the right weather. It is not guaranteed from one year to the next. The hot months push the fishing to dawn and dusk. The season on Pansy Lake rarely departs from it. Long daylight spreads the feeding across more hours.

• Tackle & Baits

  The paperwork position is blank for this one. Nothing is listed nearby for parking or launching a boat. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Where access is informal, keep it that way by behaving. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. Dickey Lake sits 0.5 miles off and takes the overflow. Ask locally about Pansy Lake if anything is unclear.